Break Me to Pieces
by EndlessFormsofBeautiful
Summary: AU Lena is working in the campus library late one Friday night. She meets Kara and her walls begin to crumble. Some mention of the Sanvers and the Super Friends, but this is SuperCorp centric. Also, I do not own Supergirl or these characters, and I'm not good at summaries.
1. Chapter 1

**Break Me to Pieces**

 **Lena**

My eyes are exhausted and my vision is starting to blur. I remove my glasses and gently rub my eyes before replacing them.

I've been tucked away at my favorite table at the back corner of the library working since I abandoned the deafening silence of my empty apartment just before 7pm. I'm creating the upcoming midterms for the physics and engineering classes that I am teaching this semester and working on lesson plans for the remainder of the semester. I have just finished my lecture notes for a chapter on quantum field theory and I am now in desperate need of a break. And coffee.

From my vantage point overlooking the large room, I take a quick peek around and notice that the place is now practically deserted, save me and a blonde girl sitting across the room near the exit. Though I can only see her in profile, her rigid posture and bouncing knee tells me that she is likely very stressed out. My hypothesis is confirmed a second later when she takes off her black-framed glasses and starts massaging her temples.

' _Definitely stressed.'_

Glancing at my watch, I understand why the place is empty. Besides the fact that it's a Friday night, and there are very few students who would choose to spend the first night of the weekend studying in the campus library, it's also 11:48pm, and the ones who did put in some extra study time had all filtered out by 8:30pm to start their weekend plans with friends, no doubt.

' _Friends. There's a luxury that not even a Luthor can afford.'_

Since it's getting close to midnight and I either need coffee or sleep, I decided that this would be a good stopping point. Closing my laptop, I let out a quiet sigh as I stretch my stiff muscles and begin packing up my things. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice that the sounds of my movements must have caught the attention of the blonde who is seemingly alerted to my presence for the first time, as she lets out a quiet gasp, probably at the realization that she is not alone. She checks the time on her watch, shoulders slumping, and runs both hands through her golden locks, seemingly in frustration.

' _It looks like I'm not the only one in need of a study break.'_

She then stands and begins to quickly pack up her things as well, shoving things a bit haphazardly into the yellow backpack lying on the table next to her.

Bringing my attention back to my own table, I finish gathering my notes and place them back in the appropriate section of my notebook. Once everything is neatly placed in my messenger bag, I stand and put on my jacket and scarf and secure my bag across my body. I gently push in my chair so as not to draw any more attention to myself or break the otherwise silence of the library by scraping it across the floor and begin walking towards the exit, internally debating on stopping for coffee or just going straight home to my cold, empty apartment.

I make my way towards the exit, decided on going to the 24-hour diner just off campus for coffee, and I see some of the girl's papers slide off the table into my path. She doesn't notice that they have fallen as she is busily trying to push a textbook into her backpack and muttering quietly to herself. Approaching her table, I crouch down and gather her fallen notes, noticing that she's been studying for a marketing class similar to one that I took as an undergrad for my business degree.

I stand back up and reach out to give them to her, clearing my throat softly to get her attention, and she finally turns and notices me. As her gaze falls upon me and our eyes meet, I am instantly frozen where I stand, arm extended, mouth hanging open. Breathless.

Her eyes are the most exquisite shade of sparkling blue that I have ever seen in my life. Although I can see frustration, sadness, and a little confusion in them right now, they are crystal clear and remind me of warm tropical waters in a remote paradise. I suddenly have the overwhelming sensation that I have fallen into their depths and am sinking fast, unable to breathe, but unable to care. I am drowning in her eyes, and I don't want to be rescued.

It feels like I have been lost in her eyes for an eternity, but in reality, only a couple of seconds have passed—just long enough to make it awkward. I can feel my cheeks growing very warm against my will, and my brain finally decides to save me from further social awkwardness, waking me out of my reverie.

' _Breathe, dummy.'_

It feels like it takes every ounce of my strength to blink, to look away from those eyes and come up for air. I take in a breath to recompose myself, and glance down at the papers still in my hand.

"You dropped these." I say, offering them to her with a friendly smile.

She searches the table and quickly finds her glasses. Pushing them up on her nose, she takes the papers from me and looks down at them. A flash of a frown crosses her face, her beautiful face, but it is quickly replaced with a shy smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes.

"Thank you." She replies quietly, glancing at me and just as quickly glancing away. Her eyes are sad, and the way that my heart aches because of her sadness catches me completely off guard. I unexpectedly feel protective of her for no logical reason and want to cheer her up.

' _Run. Run away and never look back.'_

I should listen to my better judgement and politely take my leave then. I should wish her a good night, turn, and walk away. I should forget about this beautiful stranger with the sapphire eyes that seem to gaze into the depths of my soul. I should, and I know it subconsciously, but my feet don't move as my brain and my body have other ideas. There is something about this girl that pulls me in. Before I realize what is happening, my hand has already extended itself towards her again and I hear my own voice in my ear.

"I'm Lena. It's nice to meet you…"

"Um…I'm Kara. Kara Danvers. It's very nice to meet you, too, Lena." As soon as our hands touch, there is a jolt of something akin to electricity that passes between us. I know she feels it by the way her breath hitches and her eyes widen slightly as she looks down at our joined hands.

Letting go of her hand and instantly missing the contact, I reach into the pocket of my messenger bag to retrieve my car keys. I should go, but part of me doesn't want this conversation to end just yet. I know that I should get as far away from both this girl and whatever this feeling is that is seeping in, but I feel drawn to Kara Danvers.

"I thought I'd be the only one insane enough to be here this late on a Friday night" I say.

"Yeah, um, I usually study with my…with some other friends, but they're on curfew for tomorrow's game, and I didn't want to impose on them, so here I am trying to get my head around this material before midterms, which are right around the corner. Besides, who wants to spend their Friday night studying in a stuffy old library, anyway? N-not that there's anything wrong with studying in the library on a Friday night, this is…this is a great library, and I'm just going to stop talking now."

Her rambling is endearing and quite adorable. She's blushing now, and she's wearing an embarrassed smile as she reaches up and adjusts her glasses. Yep, adorable.

She's all packed up now, and we're walking towards the door together in a comfortable silence. With only a few steps left until we reach the door, I am scrambling to come up with a way to extend our time together.

Reaching the door first, I push it open and stand against it to hold it for her as she passes. Stepping out into the night, I feel the chill of fall in the air. The temperature has dropped quite a bit since sunset, and the thought of that hot coffee is calling my name.

' _Bingo.'_

"Kara, would you like to join me for a coffee? I'm headed to the diner just off campus, and I'd love some company." I am hopeful that she will accept my invitation, and that hopefulness is inadvertently evident in my voice.

I'm not supposed to be hopeful. I'm not supposed to care. I'm not supposed to show emotion. That goes against everything that I've been taught growing up, yet in the span of a few minutes, this girl has started to unravel me.

' _Get it together, Luthor.'_

She seems a little surprised at my invitation, but I don't have to wait long for her to respond.

"I'd love to!" She smiles enthusiastically. It lights up her whole face, and for a moment it feels like the sun has come out to shine directly on me. It warms me from the inside, a stark contrast to the coldness that always accompanies me. It is an unusual but not unwelcome feeling, and it is impossible to stop the return smile that is slowly stretching across my face.

"Great! We can take my car, if that's ok with you, unless of course you want to drive your own" I add.

"Oh, no, no, no. That's fine, I flew here. On…on a bus." She's flustered again and I can't hold in the giggle this time.

"I'm parked this way," I say, turning slightly towards the parking lot beside the library.

"Shall we?" she says with a grin and offering me her arm. I don't typically allow touching aside from a handshake, and especially not from someone I literally just met 5 minutes ago, but there's something about her. I hesitantly reach up to her offered arm, and lightly place my hand in the crook of her elbow. This position forces us to walk much closer than I am usually comfortable with, but she makes me feel safe and the warmth radiating from her is welcome against the chilly night.

' _What is she doing to me?'_


	2. Chapter 2

**Kara**

"Maggie and I can't wait to see you tomorrow afternoon! I miss you, sis" comes Alex's voice from the other end of the phone.

"I miss you, too, and I can't wait! I'm so excited!" I'm walking down the sidewalk in front of the campus library.

"I'm going into the library now, so I've got to go."

"Ok, Kara. Love you."

"Love you, too, Alex."

I end the call and slide my phone into the pocket of my jacket. Entering the library, I step into a large room filled with rows of tables. A few of them are occupied by other students who are either studying alone or quietly studying in small groups. I chose a table a couple of rows away from the door, close enough to make a quick exit if necessary, but far enough away to avoid the draft when someone comes in or leaves.

I am determined to get caught up with my marketing class. I've fallen a little behind due to my sporadic attendance since I broke up with Mike nearly two months ago. He's in that class with me, as well as my best friends James and his girlfriend, Lucy. Lucy has been gracious enough to give me copies of her notes and remind me of due dates so that I'm not completely lost.

It wouldn't be that bad if Mike would just stop pestering me. Every chance he gets, he's either begging me for another chance, telling me that he's still in love with me, or he's flirting with other girls in front of me to try and make me jealous.

I've tried switching seats multiple times in the lecture hall, but he always managed to weasel his way into a seat next to me and spend the entire lecture hour trying to distract me to tell me how much he misses me, begging me to give him another chance, or trying to guilt me with "Don't give up on us." I started waiting until class had already started so that almost all of the seats would be filled, but the disapproving looks and comments from Professor Carr made me rethink that strategy as well.

It's not that I'm heartbroken over our breakup. I'm not. At all. I'd just hoped for as amicable of a break as possible considering we still have a class together and now share mutual friends.

I'm sad because I can't hang out with my best friends now without him being around to make it awkward and uncomfortable for everyone. I've maintained a weekly lunch date with Lucy and my other best friend, Winn, but I've been declining most of their invitations to hang out as a group because Mike always seems to show up or invite himself. I really miss my friends. Besides a distant cousin, my sister Alex, her girlfriend Maggie, and my adoptive mom, Eliza, my friends are the only other family that I have on this planet or elsewhere.

I'd seen Mike around last year due to my friendship with the university's star quarterback, James Olsen. I spent many afternoons at the football practices interviewing James and other players for the school's newspaper or hanging out with Lucy in the stands before we'd meet up with James and Winn and all go to dinner at a nearby restaurant or one of the dining halls on campus. I also attended every home game and many away games with Winn and Lucy and would find ourselves hanging out afterwards at one of the sports bars near campus with James and many of his teammates while we celebrated another victory.

It was during one of those celebrations that Mike approached me and introduced himself. I knew that he was the third string quarterback and spent most of the time on the sidelines unless the team was way ahead in the last minutes of the game.

He was cute and seemed nice enough at first. He followed me and hung out at the table with my friends and me for the rest of the night. After that night when I'd see him around, he was always flirty and made every attempt to touch me, trying to hold my hand, putting his arm around my shoulders, and he always tried to establish himself as something of an alpha male in my life. It was kind of sweet at first, and I mostly enjoyed his flirty attention.

Over time, he'd integrated himself into my circle of friends and was always hanging around with James and Winn outside of group hangouts. Once Winn met his girlfriend, Lyra, and she became part of the group, I started feeling like a 5th wheel sometimes. I finally relented and agreed to date Mike, and it was fine for a little while. I didn't feel so left out during group hangouts; however, I realized shortly after that being with me was more about feeding his ego than actually getting to know me.

Very quickly, our date nights began to consist mostly of me watching him play video games with his roommates and only receiving his attention when he needed me to get him another beer or more snacks. It was impossible to have a conversation with him because he was never listened to anything that I said and acted like he knew better than I what I wanted or needed. He began to treat me more like a possession than a person, and I began to resent him.

I wanted so badly to have what my friends had in their relationships. James and Lucy were obviously in love, and Winn and Lyra were on their way. They were genuinely happy together and they brought out the best in each other. I, on the other hand, felt like I was babysitting a selfish, egotistical man-child.

I thought that I could help him see the error of his ways and that he would change his behaviors, but he didn't. I got tired of him not being there for me, not respecting my wishes, and doing the exact opposite of anything that I said. I got tired of hearing him say "I'm sorry" over and over, only to go and do something else that he would ultimately come back and apologize for. I got tired of us always arguing.

During the summer break, I stayed with Lucy in her two-bedroom apartment since we were both taking summer classes and the dorms were closed for the summer. It was wonderful! James, Winn, and Lyra came over a lot, and it was great to just have fun and spend time with my chosen family. Even Alex and her girlfriend, Maggie, came to visit a few times also. It felt like old times.

It was during the summer, away from Mike, that I realized how much I enjoyed not having him around. After we'd hugged and said our goodbyes to James, Winn, and Lyra who'd come over for our weekly game night, Lucy turned and hugged me tightly.

"What was that for?" I asked.

"That was for _you_ , Kara. It's been so nice having our Kara back with us this summer. The smiling, happy, relaxed you. I've missed you." Giving my hand a gentle squeeze, she turned and walked towards her bedroom, leaving me lost in thought, still standing by the front door.

"Goodnight, Kara," she called out before she disappeared through her bedroom door, her voice pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Goodnight, Lucy. Sweet dreams," I replied, walking to my own bedroom to get ready for bed. Once I'd changed into comfy pajamas and brushed my teeth, I slid into bed, tired. My body was ready for sleep, and lots of it, but my brain kept thinking about what Lucy said.

Her words were on replay in my head.

"That was for _you_ , Kara." _'Of course, it was for me! Wait. Why did she say it that way?'_

"It's been so nice having our Kara back with us this summer." _'What does she mean? I never left. I've always been here.'_

"The smiling, happy, relaxed you." _'Haven't I always been that way? Am I missing something? Is Lucy drunk? No. She only had one and a half beers tonight. What does she mean by that?'_

"I've missed you." Click. _'Oh.'_

The meaning behind her words became crystal clear to me then. I haven't been the same person since I've been with Mike. I'd found myself feeling more depressed than I've been since I landed here after losing my entire world, and as a result, I'd been withdrawn around my friends. I'd hardly smiled in months, and laughter had been increasingly rare. It was then that I knew exactly what I needed to do, and just making the decision made me feel instantly lighter and happier.

Since Mike and I didn't talk during the summer, and text messages between us were few and far between, it was easy to forget about him and completely enjoy my time with my friends. I wanted to break up with him in person, though, out of courtesy, and not in a text message, so I decided to wait until the fall semester started and he would be back at school.

The first few weeks of the fall semester were hectic. I was taking a heavier load, and I was also given more journalistic assignments by Doctor Grant, the director of the School of Journalism and Broadcasting, so it was a few weeks into the semester before any of us had settled into our schedules and could plan time together outside of the one Marketing class that I had with James, Lucy, and Mike.

I felt such a huge relief whenever I was finally able to end things with Mike. I felt like I'd reclaimed part of my identity, and I thought that my friends and I would be able to stay in our summer grove of group hangouts and game and movie nights. The only problem was that Mike now lived in the apartment across the hall from James and Winn, so any time we would try to get together as a group for game nights or just to study, he was always there, walking into the guys' apartment without being invited and announcing himself with a loud clap.

Initially, I thought that we could just go back to being on friendly terms and everything would be fine. Boy was I wrong! When his attempts at winning me back failed, he began to bring other girls and shamelessly flirt and make out with them in front of me. At other times, he would interrupt me when I was talking and talk over me, denigrate my opinions, and belittle me while mansplaining. It hurt.

As much as I missed my friends, I thought it would just be best to stay away from group hangouts for a while. It had been a month since I'd done anything with the group. During lunch with Lucy earlier this week, she mentioned that Mike hadn't been around very much lately, and asked if I would like to come over to study with her and James on Friday night and watching a movie afterwards since Winn and Lyra would be there. I excitedly agreed and spent the rest of the week looking forward to spending time with my friends again. Unfortunately, about an hour before I was supposed to leave for the guys' apartment, Lucy sent me a text saying that Mike was hanging around and asking if I was coming over. I'd rather not deal with Mike. Not tonight.

That is why I find myself trying to study in the campus library tonight. I thought that maybe being in a scholarly environment would put me in the right frame of mind to soak in the knowledge, but the silence of the place only reminds me that I'm alone and I miss my friends dearly. I don't feel scholarly. I just feel the sadness that has recently colored my life in shades of blue. Even the pages in the chapters that I've read seem to have a blue tint, making it difficult to concentrate on anything other than my unhappiness.

In a desperate attempt to retain _anything_ that I'd just read, I place my glasses on the table and try to massage the information into my brain. I know it doesn't work that way, but like I said, I'm desperate.

I'd been so wrapped up in my own frustrating attempts to focus on the textbook and let something sink in, that I hadn't realized I wasn't alone until I heard a faint sigh coming from the back corner of the room. It was so quiet that I probably wouldn't have heard it if it weren't for my super hearing.

Glancing quickly over my shoulder, I see my raven-haired library companion starting to pack up her things. A quick peek at my watch tells me that I've been here for hours and should probably pack up and go home as well. I run my hands through my hair and briefly entertain the idea of pulling it out. Instead, I stand, grabbing my backpack, and begin packing up in frustration. I feel like the hours that I spent here have been wasted, and I am no more knowledgeable on the subject than I was when I came in.

Also, I don't know how I didn't notice her before, how my ears hadn't registered the extra heartbeat in the room this entire time. Although the sound of it is new to me, it feels familiar already and kind of comforting as well, but now I'm so irritated with myself for not noticing that someone else has been here the whole time that I don't even notice that she's moved. The sound of her softly clearing her throat jolts me back to the present. She's standing right in front of me, just on the other side of the table, with my notes in her hand.

Our eyes meet and I feel instantly grounded. All these years of feeling out of place, of just hovering with only Alex as the tether that keeps me from completely floating away have suddenly ended abruptly, and for the first time since leaving Krypton, I feel like my feet are finally on solid ground.

She blinks and looks away, pulling me out of my trance. I take a deep breath to try and calm myself, but my heart is pounding so loudly that I'm afraid that she could hear it without super hearing. I've inexplicably lost the ability to control my powers, so I suddenly hear everything going on for miles around me.

"You dropped these."

Glancing down at her hand, I realize that I'm looking at the bones in her hands. I find my glasses on the table and put them on before taking the papers from her hand. Skimming over them, I realize that they are my notes that I'd gotten from Lucy earlier this week, and the reminder that I am struggling and the reason why I am struggling welcomes me back to reality. I'm sad all over again.

"Thank you," I say. I try to offer a smile, but I don't feel it. My eyes travel from my notes up to her face, but I have to quickly avert my eyes.

' _Rao, she is beautiful.'_

I shove the papers into my backpack and zip it up.

"I'm Lena. It's nice to meet you…"

"Um…I'm Kara. Kara Danvers. It's very nice to meet you, too, Lena." She's extending her hand out to me, and I reach out to shake it. Our hands touch and an energy passes between us. It travels up my arm and down my spine, taking my breath away. If I weren't wearing long sleeves, she would be able to see the goosebumps that her touch has given me. Just one touch and she has set me on fire.

She releases my hand and I reach for my jacket and put it on. I need something to do with my hands because I can feel the urge to fidget nervously. As she turns and searches for her keys, I take the opportunity to fully take her in. Her dark hair is tied up in an adorable messy bun, and she is wearing black framed glasses. Her jawline…oh, Rao, her jawline, and her elegant neck. Though it is partially covered by her loose scarf, I can see enough, and my mind becomes stuck on what it would feel like to press my lips against it. My mouth begins to water at the thought and I absentmindedly lick my lips.

' _Wait. WHAT?!'_

"I thought I'd be the only one insane enough to be here this late on a Friday night," she says.

' _Crap. I think she caught me drooling at her neck!'_ I can feel my face getting hot.

"Yeah, um, I usually study with my…with some other friends, but they're on curfew for tomorrow's game, (' _That's enough, Kara.')_ and I didn't want to impose on them, so here I am trying to get my head around this material before midterms ( _'Kara, you're starting to ramble.'),_ which are right around the corner. ( _'She goes here, Kara. She knows when midterms are. Stop talking.)_ Besides, who wants to spend their Friday night studying in a stuffy old library, anyway? ( _'SHE'S been studying in this library on a Friday night, Kara. Now you've insulted her.)_ N-not that there's anything wrong with studying in the library on a Friday night, ( _'KARA.')_ this is… _('KARA, STOP. TALKING. NOW!')_ this is a great library, and I'm just going to stop talking now."

' _FINALLY!'_

I risk a look at her face, and she is looking back at me with a raised eyebrow and a smirk on her soft pink lips. In order to distract myself from thinking about pressing my lips against hers, I pick up my backpack and slide my arms through the strap and follow her towards the exit door.

' _My Rao, she smells so good!'_

I really need to rein it in and focus because this woman, this goddess, is short circuiting my brain. I take the opportunity to breathe deeply and focus only on one thing. I find myself focusing on her heartbeat, which is now beating a little faster than when I first noticed it. It helps, though, because I feel myself regaining control. I can do this. She's just a person. Granted, a gorgeous person, but she's a person like any other person that I've met, nonetheless.

' _Except she's not like any other person you've met.'_

A few more steps and we'll be out the door, going our separate ways into the night. I'll probably never see her again. Just a few more steps and I'll be free from this hold that she has on me.

' _Is that what you really want? To never see her again? Nope. It most definitely is not.'_

She holds the door open for me, and as I walk past her, I breathed her in. If this really would be the last time that I see her, at least I would always have her heavenly scent ingrained into my memory. Once outside, I could tell that the temperature had dropped since I'd come to the library, but it had no effect on me. I only wore weather appropriate clothing to blend in with the rest of the population.

"Kara, would you like to join me for a coffee? I'm headed to the diner just off campus, and I'd love some company."

' _She wants to hang out with me? Like, on purpose? And they have pancakes!'_

"I'd love to!" How _could_ I pass up the opportunity to be in her presence? Or pancakes? Even if I never see her again, what could beat having pancakes with this gorgeous woman? The genuine smile that I get in return reaches her eyes and sends my heartbeat into overdrive again.

"Great! We can take my car, if that's ok with you, unless of course you want to drive your own."

"Oh, no, no, no. That's fine, I flew here. On…on a bus." I internally cringe and fight the desire to facepalm myself. She giggles, though, and it is one of the most magical sounds that I have ever heard.

"I'm parked this way," she says, turning towards the right side of the building. I step up beside her and offer her my arm. She seems hesitant to take it at first, but she steps closer to me and places her hand in the crook of my elbow, her fingers lightly resting against my bicep. I have the sudden desire to hold her. Her touch and proximity make me wonder what she would feel like in my arms. I place my hands in the pockets of my jacket and look over at her. There is a smile playing at the corner of her mouth, and I can't hold in the grin spreading across my face.

' _Is this what a crush feels like?'_

 **A/N: This is my first story, and I am definitely not a writer, so reviews and constructive critiques are most welcome! I will continue with this story if there is interest. The next chapter will introduce Alex and Maggie. This is a bit of a slow burn, but SuperCorp is endgame!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you all for the positive feedback, favorites, and follows! Sorry for taking so long to update. Life has been pretty busy lately, but I'll try to update more regularly. I know that I said that Alex and Maggie would be in this chapter, but I was afraid that this chapter was getting a little long, so they will definitely be in the next chapter.**

 **Sparks**

 **Lena**

As we enter the diner, Kara's hand placed lightly between my shoulder blades, I notice that almost all of the booths and tables are filled with university students in various stages of their evenings. Some groups look like they are just getting started, some already look stoned or drunk, some are loud and rowdy, and some look like they are just about ready to call it a night.

Once we are seated by the hostess and given our menus, Kara's eyes immediately light up at the sight of the pancake options. The waiter appears at the table and requests our drink orders—coffee for both of us and milk for Kara.

"I'm getting pancakes, for sure! Are you getting food, too?"

Before I can answer, my stomach growls. Her eyes go wide and she fixes me with a pointed look.

"How long has it been since you've eaten dinner?"

' _How the hell did she hear that over all the noise in here?"_

The way that she's looking at me, I know that there's no getting around answering this question.

Shrugging, I answer "I didn't? After breakfast I had classes throughout the remainder of the day, and afterwards, I worked on trying to find a cure for cancer in a friend's garage until I went to the library and met this cute girl grumbling about a marketing class, and now here we are."

' _Jeeesus, Luthor. Did you really just call her cute? To her face?'_

"That settles it," she says with a stern expression. "You're having pancakes with me, and I'm not taking 'no' for an answer." She picks up my menu and opens it to the pancakes selection and places it down in front of me as she continues speaking. "You have to take care of yourself, Lena. Now, take your pick."

' _God, she is cute when she is being serious.'_

"Kara, I-"

"Please? For me?" She pouts, and I am done for.

' _WHY did she have to pout like that? How can I say no to those puppy eyes? This is not fair!'_

"Fine. You win" I concede. I can see that she is pleased with herself at her small victory. I'll let her have this one. I glance down at the menu for a brief second and then close it, moving it to the side. She of course notices how quickly I've disregarded the menu again, but before she can say anything in protest, the waiter is back with our coffee and Kara's milk. He places two mugs on the table and pours coffee from the carafe before he places the carafe on the table and asks if we are ready to order. Kara orders a triple stack of Double Vanilla pancakes because "Ice cream, Lena!" I order a simple stack of blueberry pancakes.

Once the waiter has taken our orders and our menus, Kara leans back and takes in our surroundings. While she is distracted, I take the opportunity to fully appreciate the beauty in front of me. Her expression is so open and warm, and there is a smile playing on the corners of her lips. It is easy to see how anyone would be drawn to her. I've noticed the scar next to her left eyebrow and am starting to wonder how she may have gotten it as I sip my coffee when I see her easy expression turn into a frown. I follow her gaze and see a group of women a few tables over.

"Someone you know?"

"No, not really. Her name is Eve, and she's Mike's newest fling of the month" she replies distantly. She turns back to face me and the sadness has returned to her eyes.

"And Mike is?"

' _Probably an asshole ex-boyfriend. I really hope she doesn't say ex-boyfriend. I bet he's an ass. It's just like me to be interested in someone who is not over an ex. Wait. Interested?'_

"My ex." She sighs. Her voice is flat, the cheerfulness gone, replaced by a hint of sadness. "Since we broke up, he's been flaunting a new girl in my face every chance he gets and trying to make me jealous. It's not working, though. I just feel bad for the girls that are being used like that, you know?"

' _Definitely an ass.'_

I have to admit that I am a little sad to hear of the ex-boyfriend. Not that I thought that I would ever have a chance with Kara, but at least I could have held out a little hope. Nonetheless, she intrigues me. Feeling sympathetic towards the girls who are no doubt getting their hearts broken from being used and tossed aside by this pig shows that she has a big heart.

"You're obviously better off not being with someone who thinks it's acceptable to objectify women" I say. She nods, but doesn't say anything. Her eyes are distant. I want to change the subject from such a heavy topic and try to bring her out of her sadness and back to me. Checking the time, I say "So, you mentioned a football game later. Are you going?"

Kara sighs and shakes her head. I pick up my coffee and take another sip while I wait to see if she will say more. She glances back toward Eve's table before turning back to me.

"I think I'm just going to find somewhere to study for this class until my sister and her girlfriend get here in the afternoon. Other than that, I'll just be hanging out with them until they leave on Sunday. I'm really looking forward to it! I haven't seen them since the summer before school started, and I really miss my sister. Oh! Maybe we can have a game night!"

The light is back in her eyes, which are on me now, and she is smiling again and bouncing in her seat a little. I smile in return, pick up my coffee mug and take another sip. She does the same, mirroring my actions. Her smile gives me the encouragement that I need to say the next thing that comes out of my mouth. I want to see more of her smile. I want to spend more time with her.

"If you're studying for that marketing class, I could tutor you, if you'd like. At least until you need to go meet your sister."

"Really?" Her face lights up, but then she looks pensive. "Wait. Did you do well in that class?"

"Don't worry. I got an A plus," I chuckle. "I don't mind helping you at all, if you'll have me."

' _She can definitely have me.'_

"Of course! I would love that!" That smile that could rival the sun is back.

"Then I am all yours. What's your major anyway?" I really want to learn more about her. This is as good a topic as any to start with, and I don't want her to be sad again, so I'll steer clear of certain topics unless she wants to talk about them.

"Marketing. What were you working on in the library?"

"I had just finished working on some notes for a physics class" I tell her. I know that she, like most people who see me outside of class, assumes that I am a student because of my young age. With anyone else, I wouldn't hesitate to correct them, but it's different with Kara. I feel bad for lying to her, even in omission, but I'm afraid that she will put up professional boundaries and treat me differently if she finds out who I really am, and I don't want that. I don't want to put an abrupt end to this friendship before it even begins.

"Physics? Are you sure that you want to pull yourself away from that and help me with _marketing?"_ The confusion is evident on her face.

"Don't you worry about that. As I said before, I am happy to help," I assure her. "You just tell me when and where, and I will be there for as long as you need me."

"You are the best, Lena! I'm so lucky that I met you tonight!"

' _That's a first. No one has ever said that they were lucky to meet me. Scared, maybe. Terrified, definitely, but never lucky. It's kind of nice.'_

Her kind words warm me. Her honesty and vulnerability warm me. Her acceptance warms me. Everyone that I have encountered has always treated me in a very guarded, albeit professional, manner, either because of my last name in the business world, my status here on campus, or because of the horrific things that my brother has done in Metropolis. It makes it impossible to connect with anyone on a more intimate level, to have anything that resembles an actual friendship, so I must admit that whatever this thing is that is happening between Kara and me is not something that I want to let go of so easily.

"You should come hang out with us afterwards! It will be fun, and you can be my partner for game night!" She's bouncing in excitement in her seat now, and it is utterly adorable.

"I wouldn't want to intrude on your family time, Kara, but I appreciate the invitation." I can tell that she is about to insist, but a large stack of pancakes topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream is placed on the table in front of her and her eyes go wide and her jaw drops. Her reaction to the food is comical and makes me giggle. Once the waiter leaves us to enjoy our pancakes, I ask Kara her favorite food.

"Pizza and potstickers," she says before digging in to her food. She takes a bite and closes her eyes, moaning in delight. The sound eliciting non-platonic thoughts to go through my head. To distract myself from it, I reach for the syrup, not realizing that she is also reaching for it. Our hands touch, hers on mine, and she doesn't immediately pull away, nor do I want her to.

' _Well, shit. So much for non-platonic anything.'_

My eyes travel up to hers and she smiles softly at me, and she slowly retracts her hand. "You first," she says softly.

Pouring a moderate amount of syrup onto my pancakes while trying to control my thoughts into more appropriate ones, I say, "So, what I'm hearing and seeing is that you really love junk food."

She smiles widely in response, and I take that as an emphatic "Yes!"

"One of these days I'm going to get you to try kale."

Her smile is gone and she looks a little terrified. I laugh, and she tries to give me a serious look, but I can see that she's trying to hold back a smile. "That's not funny, Lena."

Conversation with Kara comes easily for the remainder of the time that we are at the diner. The more that Kara reveals about herself, the more I want to know. She's funny and intriguing, and she makes me feel comfortable being around her. She'd been telling me a story about staring at birds on the beach after she went to live with the Danvers family, and I realize that I have been staring into her eyes and she had stopped talking and was simply smiling at me.

' _You were caught being creeepy!'_

My heart starts pounding and I feel an unfamiliar flutter in my stomach. She's still smiling at me and I can feel the warmth of a blush settling onto my cheeks, but I'm powerless to look away. Instead, I smile in return, my gaze unwavering. I could look into those eyes forever, honestly, but that's not happening right now since the waiter chooses this exact moment to return with our check, effectively breaking us out of this trance. I see Kara going for it and I snatch it up before she can reach it.

"Lena, I can totally get that."

"I'm sure you can, Kara, but I invited you, so I'm paying."

"Fine, but lunch is on me tomorrow."

' _She wants to buy me lunch tomorrow! Squeeee!'_

"I'll allow it," I reply coolly.

The drive back towards campus, to Kara's residence hall is in comfortable silence until Kara speaks. "You've already spent almost two hours with me. Are you sure you still want to hang out and tutor me in the light of day?"

I'm a little taken aback by her self-deprecating tone and am saddened by her lack of self-esteem. Where did the smiling, peppy girl from the last hour and half at the diner go? "Of course, I want to see you again, Kara! Day or night. I've really enjoyed your company tonight. Thank you for agreeing to come out with me despite the late hour."

"It was my pleasure," she says softly before adding, "You can let me out just up here."

I realize that we are nearing the front entrance of her residence hall and pull over to the curb and put the car in park. She makes no move to get out, so I cut the engine and look over at her. She is looking through the windshield at nothing in particular. She's silent, and I resign to sit here for as long as she needs. Resting my hands in my lap, I prepare to sit quietly and patiently give her the time and space that she needs to process whatever is going through her mind.

I risk another glance at her and see that her eyes are filled with unshed tears. I immediately want to comfort her in some way, but my upbringing leaves me at a loss. I don't really know how to comfort her, what to do or say which, leaves me frustrated—until I see her tears spill over. I immediately reach over and take her hand in mine, all thoughts of personal space going out the window.

Kara looks at me then and smiles, though her tears continue to fall. It breaks my heart to see her like this, and I want more than anything right now to fix whatever is causing her sadness, but I feel so powerless. I can feel my own emotions bubbling just under the surface, but I am able to keep them at bay. Except for the sudden sting of tears beginning to pool in my own eyes.

' _A Luthor shows no emotion.'_

I blink them away quickly as she squeezes my hand. "Thank you," she says again, her voice shaky and small. "Tonight started..." She takes a deep breath and begins again, trying to find the right words. "I've felt so alone lately…" She trails off again and sniffles. I reach into the pocket of my jacket and produce a packet of tissues and offer them to her. She takes one, removes her glasses, and wipes her eyes before depositing the tissue into her own jacket pocket. After putting her glasses back on, she gives me a small smile and pulls me into her, wrapping her arms around me and surrounding me in her warmth.

It catches me completely off guard and I feel myself stiffen involuntarily, but my God, it feels so good to be in her arms. I want to prolong the moment and offer her some comfort, so I wrap my arm around her, my hand coming to rest between her shoulder blades and breathe in her scent. Her hair smells like strawberries and sunshine. She squeezes me a little tighter and whispers "Thank you" into my ear.

I understand what she means because I could thank her for exactly what she is thanking me for. Although loneliness has been a constant companion to me for as long as I can remember, it feels good to have someone come along and change that, even if it is only briefly. She has no idea, but she has brought warmth and light into my life.

Sighing, she releases her grip on me and we pull away, her hands trailing down my arms, resting on my forearms. "I should probably get out of your car so you can get home."

"Kara, if you need anything, if there's ever anything that I can do, please let me know."

"Well, there is one thing that I need from you right now," she says, pulling her phone out of her pocket.

"Anything. Name it."

"I lost my phone number. Can I have yours?" She places her phone into my hand. I can't hold the in the laugh, and she bursts into laughter right behind me, effectively lightening the mood. Once our laughter subsides, I take her phone, punch in my phone number, and place it back into her hand. She dials it, and a second later, my ringtone is heard playing from my bag in the backseat. "Now you have mine," she says with a smile, putting her phone back in to her pocket and reaching for the strap of her backpack on the floor by her legs. Exiting the car, she turns to me and says, "Thank you for tonight, Lena. Drive safely, okay?"

"Goodnight, Kara" I smile. She closes the door and I turn the key in the ignition, enjoying the purr of the fully restored engine coming to life, and pull away from the curb. Tonight was unexpected. Tonight was pleasant. I would even go as far as saying that tonight was fun. I smile to myself. Yes, tonight was fun. No one has ever opened up to me the way that Kara did tonight. No one has ever trusted me in the way that Kara does. A large part of me feels bad, that by keeping my identity a secret from her, I am betraying her trust. I will tell her. Once I am finished tutoring her, and before we go our separate ways, probably for good, I will tell her.

As soon as I step into my apartment, my phone alerts me to a notification. I pull my phone out of my bag, checking it on the way to my bedroom. It is a text from an unsaved number, Kara, no doubt. I quickly save her into my contacts and then read the message.

 **Sunshine:** Make it home?

Her checking on me makes me smile. I have smiled quite a bit tonight because of her.

 **Me:** I am home safe and sound. Thank you for checking on my well-being, Kara.

 **Sunshine:** I see that you even speak formally via text. :) ;P

 **Me:** What can I say? It is a product of my environment and upbringing.

 **Sunshine:** You need a new environment. :) :) :)

 **Sunshine:** So where and when is this tutoring sesh happening?

 **Me:** "Sesh"? Really, Kara?

 **Sunshine:** Really, Lena. ;P

 **Me:** Bring your textbook and materials and meet me where it all began at 9AM.

 **Sunshine:** Will do! I'm looking forward to it!

 **Me:** Goodnight, Sunshine.

 **Sunshine:** Sweet dreams, Dimples! :) :) :) :)

 **Me:** Dimples?

 **Sunshine:** What? They're cute.

Smiling to myself, I put my phone on the charger, get changed for bed, brush my teeth, pull on my favorite hoodie, and grab a throw blanket before slipping out onto my balcony and curling up underneath the blanket on the small couch, overlooking the sleeping city. There are no clouds tonight, so I can see some stars and can even pick out a few of the constellations. This is one of my favorite places to be; under the stars. When I am out here, there are no lectures to prepare, no reports to read, no business proposals to review, no hate directed at me because of my last name. No expectations. Out here, I can drop all pretenses of my daily life, and I can just be Lena; free to be whoever I want to be, to feel however I want to feel, free to say whatever I want to say. I come out here most nights to put things into perspective and to clear my head. I usually come away feeling lighter and more focused.

' _Except tonight, I'm feeling confused and a little scared instead.'_

After climbing into bed some time later, I lie awake for a while thinking about how one chance meeting with a beautiful stranger has changed something within me. I don't know exactly how, but I can feel it. She disarmed my defenses, and I could feel my walls crumbling, one smile, one touch at a time. It is scary, but something tells me that I am safe with Kara.

Three hours later I'm awake as usual. There's still a few hours before I'm meeting Kara at the library, so I make coffee and take it out to the balcony and sip it while I watch the sunrise. As the city below me starts to wake up, I look over some business proposals and building plans for a potential company relocation. When I can't take being here at my apartment any longer, I shower and get dressed and head out the door. I grab my keys, phone, and wallet and make my way down to the parking garage.

I make it to campus a little earlier than planned, so I park next to the library and walk to the little café in the student building to buy lattes before going to the library and settling into my favorite spot. I check a few emails and sip my drink while I wait.

Promptly at 9 AM, I get a weird sensation that Kara is nearby and look up to see her entering the library, looking like a literal ray of sunshine. When she sees me, she gives me the biggest smile which makes my insides do flips.

' _What have I gotten myself into?'_

 **Constructive criticism is very much welcomed. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm so sorry that it has taken me so long to update! Life has been crazy busy over the last month and a half, and I've felt so bad about not updating. Also, writer's block has been a real hindrance. I'm going to try to get the next chapter out in the next couple of days. Thank you so much for your reviews, follows, and most of all, your patience!**

 **Kara**

Okay, Lena is crazy smart and even more gorgeous today! I didn't think it was possible, but here she is literally looking like a goddess!

We've been sitting in intimate proximity to each other since I arrived in the library this morning to find her dressed in dark red skinny jeans, a grey loose fitting, low-cut, V-neck blouse, and black heeled leather boots, sipping from one of the two coffee cups on the table and checking her phone. Her lipstick is the color of crimson, and her dark, silky hair is pulled back into an elegant French braid. A black leather jacket hangs on the back of the same chair that she occupied only hours ago.

I've had a major case of the butterflies since I laid eyes on her and heard her heartbeat quicken, and with every brush of our hands or knees, every time she bites her bottom lip, or leans in closer to me to point out something specific in the book bringing her lips dangerously close, the butterflies multiply. Right now, her hand is resting on my forearm as she explains a concept in one of the chapters, and I'm trying hard to concentrate, but I am FREAKING OUT inside! I don't even think she realizes what she's doing since she is completely engrossed in making sure that the information in my textbook makes perfect sense to me. Her passion and intellect are on full display and it is incredibly attractive.

Did I mention that she is crazy smart? As soon as I approached the table this morning, she offered me one of the coffee cups and got straight to business, taking on a no-nonsense, professor-like tone. I have to admit, it was kind of hot!

"Sit" she said while pulling out the chair next to her. I took a sip of the hot liquid in the cup and sat down next to 'Professor Lena'.

' _What IS this deliciousness in this cup? Did she just move her chair closer? Oh Rao, her hand is on my knee! She'd be such a sexy professor. I'd take her class, no matter what she's teaching.'_

Before my mind could even begin to fantasize about her as a professor or giving me orders in a completely different setting, the authoritative tone in her voice brought me back to reality. Also, I noticed it last night, but there is a hint of something else. An accent, but I can't place it.

"Open your book and take out your notes." She glanced at them both once I'd done as she asked, and from then on, she's been the captain of this ship. She's made this stuff look simple, made me understand easily, given me pointers on an upcoming paper, and even started explaining future chapters to me. The absentminded casual touches are just the icing on the cake. Speaking of cake, my stomach picks this moment to growl, and since it's quiet in here and Lena is close enough, she hears it easily.

"I guess that's our cue to call it a day," she says as she closes my book while giving me that smirk that is just so…Lena. While I'm packing up my things, she stands up and puts on her jacket and then reaches for the two coffee cups. Before she can take mine, I grab it and drain it, not caring that it's no longer hot. With a look of amusement on her face, she says "It's cold now, Kara" referring to the lukewarm latte.

"But it's so good, Lena! What is it?"

"Chai latte," she replies simply while sliding her phone into her pocket and pulling out a small set of keys before zipping it up. "I'm glad you liked it." She looks at me and smiles and there is warmth in her eyes. The butterflies have returned with a vengeance and my mind goes blank. Before my brain can shake itself from its stupor, she takes a step to her left and walks around me.

"I really hope that this study session has helped, Kara. If you ever need help with anything else, you can always ask. You have my number, and I will make myself available for you." She smiles again and starts to walk away, and my brain finally catches up and registers what is happening.

"Lena, wait!" I didn't mean to be so loud, but I had to stop her. I wasn't ready to part ways yet. I snatch my empty cup off the table with one hand while simultaneously throwing one of the straps of my backpack over my shoulder with the other and hurry to catch up with her. She has stopped walking and is now watching me with curiosity. When I reach her, I blurt out the first thing that comes to mind.

"It tastes like Christmas!"

She looks at me in total confusion. "What?"

"The latte," I say as I hold up the empty cup. "It tastes like Christmas." She still looks confused, but she lets out a chuckle.

"Okay. I'll take your word for it. It tastes like Christmas."

"You know what I mean, Lena." We've started slowly walking towards the front exit together, dropping our empty cups in a trash can as we pass it.

"I don't know what you mean, Kara. I didn't know that Christmas had a taste."

"Well, it doesn't have a taste per se, but the cinnamon and ginger remind me of Christmas time. It reminds me of my first Christmas with the Danvers, of the first time Eliza, Alex, and I made gingerbread men and decorated the Christmas tree that Jeremiah cut down." My mind has started to drift through memories of past Christmases with the Danvers, but I'm pulled out of my reminiscing when I hear Lena whisper softly.

"I've never actually celebrated Christmas."

"WHAT?!" This revelation stops me in my tracks and I reach out and gently grab her arm, stopping her. At this point, I don't even care about my noise level; there's no one else in here anyway. "How have you never celebrated Christmas? Does your family not celebrate it?"

"It's just never been that big of a deal growing up. The Lu- my family isn't exactly typical. It was always about business. If it didn't help the business in any way, it was inconsequential."

I didn't get a chance to respond to that because my stomach decided to loudly insert itself into the conversation and Lena took full advantage of the distraction and brought up one of my favorite subjects.

"So, food?" She's almost out the door now and I hurry to catch up. Once we're outside she hesitates, almost like she wants to say something but decides against it. She reaches into her jacket, pulling out aviators from an inside pocket and puts them on.

"Where would you like to go for lunch?"

"Your choice. I chose last night," she replies.

"I'm in the mood for pot stickers," I say, probably with a little too much enthusiasm. It makes her laugh, and for that brief moment, the sound makes me forget about my hunger.

"Then let's get you some pot stickers," she says as she turns towards the parking lot. We walk in comfortable silence until we reach the edge of the building, just before entering the parking lot. At that point she slows her pace and turns to me.

"Do you trust me?"

"What?"

"Do you trust me?" She repeats with a smile and offers her hand to me. I catch on, laughing at the movie reference while placing my hand in hers. Her hand is warm and soft and she pulls me closer to her, our shoulders touching as we resume walking.

"Is this the part where you take me on a magic carpet ride?"

"I'm going to show you a whole new world." Her voice comes out sultrier as she says this, and I feel my face flush instantly and my stomach does somersaults. I hear her heartbeat and breathing speed up, but her expression remains calm and there's no hint of a blush. I'm impressed. I'm so focused on listening to her heartbeat that it takes me a minute to realize that we're walking toward the only vehicle in the parking lot which happens to be a beast of a motorcycle. I'm not really into motorcycles, but this thing looks pretty awesome. Alex would appreciate it.

"Have you ever ridden before," she asks. I shake my head in response.

I've never ridden on a motorcycle since Alex always said no to letting me ride with her, so I'm excited that I'm going to get to have this experience with Lena…and now I'm a little nervous because I'm going to have this experience with Lena, pressed against her with my arms around her. I feel my face flush again.

"Ready?" I can hear the nervousness in her voice, but I eagerly accept the helmet that she is holding out to me, even though I don't actually need it. She zips up her jacket and climbs on, raising the kickstand and sitting at the very front of the seat, leaving room for me behind her. It dawns on me that she has given me the only helmet and I hesitate.

"I'm not taking your helmet, Lena." I'm trying not to think about how incredibly sexy she looks sitting on her motorcycle.

"It's fine, Kara. I'll drive slowly, don't worry."

I panic a little, not knowing what to do. I don't actually need the helmet, but I can't really tell her that without giving her any explanation, so I push it down onto my head, put my glasses back on, and flip down the face shield while silently promising myself that if anything were to happen, I would keep her safe. I tighten the straps of my backpack so that it can't swing around and throw us off balance, then climb on behind her.

Lena turns and shows me where to place my feet then reaches back to grab my wrists, pulling me into her and loosely wraps my arms around her waist.

"Hold on to me." I hear her heartbeat quicken and take comfort in knowing that I'm not the only one feeling the butterflies. I press myself closer while tightening my grip a little around her as she starts the engine.

I jump a little as it roars to life, thankful that the helmet muffles the sound a little, and she places her hand over mine and rubs tiny circles on my wrist in a comforting gesture.

"Are you okay?" She says over her shoulder, yelling to be heard over the engine and through the helmet. I nod, giving her thumbs up and she nods in response. She takes off slowly and does a few circles through the empty parking lot, giving us both the opportunity to get comfortable being on the motorcycle together. A few minutes later, we are on the main road driving away from campus in the direction of my favorite Chinese restaurant.

True to her word, she doesn't drive fast, although I could tell that she was restraining herself for my sake. Judging by the muscle car that she had driven last night and the motorcycle today, I think it's safe to assume that Lena likes power and speed. Maybe I'll ask her about it sometime. For now, I'll just enjoy the ride and the feeling of having her in my arms.

The ride is over too soon, as we arrive at the restaurant ten minutes later, Lena bring us to a smooth stop in one of the spaces near the front entrance. I reluctantly let go of Lena and climb off the bike. I take the helmet off and shake out my hair as Lena lowers the kick stand and climbs off after me. She wordlessly reaches up and gently brushes a rogue lock of hair from my face with her fingertips before smiling softly and walking towards the entrance. I fall into step behind her while slipping my glasses back on and cradling the helmet under my arm.

Once we've settled into our booth and ordered our food, I asked Lena about her plans for the rest of the weekend.

"I will probably spend the rest of today working on classwork for the rest of the semester and then reading over reports until I pass out tonight. Tomorrow, I've got my regular plans through the afternoon. After that, I'll binge something on Netflix until bedtime."

Before I can further inquire about these "regular plans," I hear familiar heartbeats followed by familiar voices and look up to see my sister walking into the restaurant with Maggie following closely behind her.

I can't believe they're here! It takes all my control to "rush" over to them at a normal, human pace instead of my choice "faster than a speeding bullet" because once I see Alex, it hits me how much I've truly missed them. I wrap them both up in a hug, not letting go until Maggie makes to pull away.

"It's good to see you, too, Little Danvers." She smiles warmly at me, dimples on full display. Alex steps out of the embrace moments later but not letting go of my hand. She looks at me with concern, and the sadness that I've been able to ignore since last night returns and I feel my eyes start to burn.

"What are you doing here," I ask them. "I wasn't expecting you until later!"

"Maggie's stakeout ended a lot sooner than we expected, so we thought we'd get a head start and squeeze in a little extra sister time. I hope that's ok."

"Yeah, I got the bad guy, and since we were here early, we were going to pick up some of your favorite pot stickers to surprise you," Maggie chimed in. "Thanks for ruining the surprise."

The three of us laugh lightheartedly, their presence continuing to fill the vacancy that I've been carrying around for months, since the distance between my friends and me has grown. I felt it starting to fill again for the first time last night while I was out with Lena. Lena!

"You guys should join us for lunch!"

"Us?" Alex's curiosity is written all over her face, but then, in an instant, there's fire in her eyes. "Don't tell me you let Mike slither his—"

"No, Alex! It's not him," I interject before she can say anything more. I know how she feels about Mike. Alex has never hidden her disdain for him. After meeting him and hanging out a few times with the group after football games, she was completely against me giving in and dating him. She always said that I was too good for him, that I deserved so much better, and it was not my job to teach him how to be a decent person instead of a "misogynistic ass clown who doesn't appreciate you and would probably own slaves if it hadn't already been abolished."

Boy, was she right! I thought that he was my best option because he was physiologically more like me, but that was where our similarities began and ended.

"I want you to meet my new friend, Lena!" I'm so excited to introduce Alex and Maggie to Lena that I practically drag them to the table where she's been waiting patiently. She looks up at me and smiles as I approach, and for a second, all I can do is smile back while my insides are melting, and my brain suddenly turns to mush. I forget how to word. Speak! I forget how to speak!

Lena's gaze falls from my eyes to my hand, where it is still joined with Alex's, and something intense momentarily crosses her features and her posture becomes rigid.

"You must be Lena. I'm Maggie. It's nice to meet you." The sound of Maggie's voice pulls me out of my reverie and Alex snorts quietly from where's she's still standing at my side. Lena stands and shakes Maggie's hand graciously.

"It's very nice to meet you, too, Maggie. Kara has told me so much about you." She turns her attention to Alex and extends her hand. "That must mean that you're the famous Alex that Kara speaks so highly of. It's a pleasure to meet you."


	5. Chapter 5

**Alex**

"That must mean that you're the famous Alex that Kara speaks so highly of. It's a pleasure to meet you."

She extends a hand out to me in greeting, and I shake her hand firmly while also not letting go of Kara's. I saw the way she reacted when she saw us holding hands, and it would have been scary if it weren't so funny! Thankfully, Maggie also noticed and stepped in with a smile, dimples out in full-effect, to try to ease the tension in Miss Luthor before the phone she's holding shatters from her death grip.

Thankfully, for the phone anyway, it worked.

I tried to hold back the laugh. I really tried. A little snort escaped, but I don't think anyone else noticed since Maggie and Lena are in the middle of introductions and Kara is staring at Lena like she hung the stars.

' _She_ is _kind of gorgeous, but why is Kara staring at her like that?'_

Yeah, I recognized her as soon as we reached the table. It's my job to know who she is, as well as the rest of her family, thanks to her father's unethical business practices and her brother's hatred of aliens and all-out war on Superman in Metropolis. I just didn't think I'd run into her in a Chinese restaurant hanging out with my little sister, of all people. She's been under the radar since graduating at the top of her class from MIT with multiple Master's degrees in Business, Engineering, Computer Science, and Physics and has stayed out of the limelight that her family name brings by living her private life under a pseudonym, away from the public eye. She'd put as much distance between herself, her family, and the family business as possible until she recently began moonlighting as the Chief Financial Officer of LuthorCorp in the wake of her brother's downfall, but only remotely, as she hasn't been seen in Metropolis in years. Before that, she spent months at a time traveling the world alone, or otherwise living a quiet life in Ireland.

From what we've gathered about her, she seems to just want to live a normal life, and she had been able to do that very thing until her brother was convicted of mass murder and given 37 consecutive life sentences in prison and the media began speculating about when the "Elusive Luthor" would come out of hiding and step in to take over the reins as CEO.

At least I don't think she'll actually follow in her brother's xenophobic, anti-alien footsteps. According to our intel, she seems open-minded toward aliens, harmless in that aspect, and genuinely good, but never to be underestimated. She _is_ a certified genius with one of the highest IQs I've ever seen, so I will be keeping a close eye on her, especially while she's spending time with my sister.

' _Maybe I can get my hands on some hidden cameras and bug her apartment while she's away. All I have to do is follow her home and then sneak back into town when no one is expecting me and…'_

"It might work better if we try actually sitting in the chairs instead of standing next to them."

Maggie's voice pulls me out of my thoughts as she moves to pull a chair out for me. I take the offered seat across from Kara, and Maggie settles next to me.

"So, Alex, Kara mentioned to me that you're studying at Stanford. That's impressive!" She smiles at me, and I can't stop the return smile.

"I am" I say. "I've got one more year, and then I will officially be Dr. Alexandra Danvers, PhD."

"What are you studying?"

"Bio-engineering, actually" I tell her. "Honestly, I love all things science! Chemistry, biology, physiology, medicine, technology." Her eyes light up and she looks sincerely impressed, and coming from a genius like her, I take it as a great compliment. Kara beams at me with pride, and I just take it and bask in the warmth of it. Otherwise, if I overthink it, I'll start feeling bad for keeping secrets from her. I hate lying to Kara of all people because I know how much she looks up to me, but I can't let her know about the other thing I do. Even though I'm doing it for her protection, I would lose her trust, and she may never want to talk to me again. I'm not ready to risk losing my baby sister, my heart, and I hope that my secret never gets out.

"Nerd." I look at Maggie, and there is nothing but love and tenderness in her eyes as she looks back at me. She smiles at me as she squeezes my thigh under the table, and I am turned to goo. She has always had that effect on me. She makes my heart flutter.

Knowing that my sister listens to my heartbeat and needing a subject change, I turn my attention to her ask her how she and Lena met. She immediately launches into the story of their meeting in the library late last night, pancakes at the diner, and the tutoring session this morning, with Lena chiming in from time to time. The rest of lunch goes just as smoothly with lots of easy conversation and laughter, and even the stiff, guarded Luthor has been replaced with a more relaxed Lena, one that I'm really starting to like. Kara's energy generally does that people. It puts them at ease. I can tell, though, that I make Lena nervous, as Kara's protective older sister, and I'm perfectly okay with that. To be completely honest, I'm feeling a bit smug about it, and I'm definitely going to use it to my advantage for as long as possible.

Maggie and I excuse ourselves to the bathroom after our empty lunch plates have been cleared and dessert is ordered. As we're washing our hands, I catch Maggie's tell-tale smirk in the mirror. I narrow my eyes at her, knowing what she's going to ask.

"So, what do you think of Kara's new _friend_?"

"She's fine" I say, confused as her smirk widens into a full-blown grin.

"What is it, Sawyer?"

"Your sister and Little Luthor are what, Danvers."

I'm not even surprised that she knows Lena's identity. She's a damn good detective. I turn and face her fully, and she turns to face me. "What do you mean, Maggie?"

"Little Danvers likes Little Luthor, for sure." I open my mouth to interject, but she raises a hand in a gesture that says "hear me out" before I can utter a sound. "Don't worry, it's definitely mutual. Have you seen the way they look at each other? They've been gushing about each other the entire time! You can't deny it, Danvers."

"Well, _duh_ , they like each other. I doubt they'd be hanging out together if they didn't."

Maggie rolls her eyes and scoffs, the smirk returning. "Come _on_ , Danvers. It's _so_ obvious that those two are into each other! I've never witnessed so many lingering looks, casual touches or so much flirty banter in my life, and seriously, HAVE YOU SEEN all the lip biting? They _like_ like each other!"

"I don't think so, Maggie." I can see that they're already fond of each other, but I don't think it's more than friendly. Plus, Kara's like that with all of her friends, right? Right? "Besides, Kara is still getting over Mike."

"Kara's _been_ over Mike. What she's not over is her friends abandoning her for him. Your gaydar needs a tune-up, babe."

I love it when she calls me "babe." It makes me almost forget everything in the world except her in the moment. She gives me that smile that is only reserved for me, and I lean in and place a gentle kiss on her lips, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her into me. Her arms wrap around my neck, one hand in my hair, the kiss going from gentle to hungry in an instant. After a few moments, she reluctantly steps back, leaving me breathless.

"We better get back out there before Kara comes barging in with a search party."

She's right. It's happened before, and to say that it was embarrassing would be the understatement of a lifetime!

"$20.00 and vegan ice-cream that those two get snuggly before the weekend is over." She holds out her hand and I shake it.

"You're on, Sawyer. Lena doesn't even seem like the cuddling type."

Maggie says nothing, but flashes her confident smile, and I immediately begin to re-think this decision. She's usually right about these things, but this is Kara. I know my sister better than anyone. She can't be right this time, can she? Am I just oblivious?

We get back to the table just as our desserts arrive, and the four of us fall back in to easy conversation. I haven't seen Kara this happy in months. It's in her smile, it's in her eyes. It's in her relaxed posture. It's in the easy way that she throws her head back in laughter. Kara is finally happy again, and I know that a lot of it has to do with the green-eyed beauty sitting next to her. I just want her to be happy, and if this friendship with Lena makes her happy, then I will fully support it, and whatever it may become. I'm still a little in denial about that though.

' _Kara's never mentioned being into women, has she? Only that sexuality was never a "thing" on her planet.'_

"I kind of miss heckling the other team. Are you _sure_ you don't want to go to the game, even for a little while, Little Danvers?" Maggie turns her own version of the puppy eyes onto Kara.

"Sure, as long we all go together, and you guys don't ditch me. It will be fun!" Kara excitedly looks back and forth between Lena and me, waiting for us to say something.

"Are you sure about this, Kara?" I'm concerned for her and about her potentially running into her friends. I don't want her to be sad all over again. If Kara gets sad, Alex gets angry, and you don't want to see Angry Alex.

"I'll have you, Maggie, and hopefully Lena there with me." She adds that last part shyly, sneaking a quick glance in Lena's direction. "I'll be perfectly fine."

"I'm down to go," I say. "What about you, Lena?"

She looks surprised that I asked her, but then Kara used her puppy eyes to seal the deal. She looks away from Kara and schools her features. The professional business woman is back as she says, "I'll accompany you to your football heckle-fest on one condition."

"What condition is that?" Kara says what we all want to say.

Lena nods over to the waiter and then turns back to us with what I can tell is her trademark smirk and says, "The condition is that lunch is on me today." Before either Maggie or I could protest, the waiter reaches the table with the check presenter, and she's slipped her credit card into it and is giving it back to him.

She's quick.

As we're finishing up dessert, I look out the window and see that the beautiful beast that we walked by earlier is still sitting in all it's glory in the parking lot.

"I'd really like to get a closer look at that motorcycle parked out front before the owner leaves! Do you think it would be weird if I were to go check it out? Do you think the owner would come out and think I'm a crazy person?"

I catch the look of amusement that passes between Kara and Lena before Lena says "I'm sure the bike's owner wouldn't mind at all if you want to go ahead and check it out. I'll be right out." I was out of my chair and halfway to the door before anyone else even moved. I pushed out the door and came face to face with a dream on two wheels.

I just stand there and take it all in for a moment before I slowly stalk towards it, as if it were prey. This thing is so badass! I vaguely notice when the others file out behind me, and Maggie and I begin a slow, admiring trek around it. Kara and Lena stand together quietly, both with smug little smiles on their faces, but I can't focus on that when this gorgeous piece of machinery is sitting right here in front of me.

"I would _love_ to take this thing for a spin!"

"You ride?" Lena says as she steps up beside me.

"Hell yeah, I ride! I love it!"

"Maybe I'll let you take it out for a test drive before you leave tomorrow."

I meet sparkling emerald green eyes and say, "This is yours?!"

She smiles and nods. "I built it myself."

' _Whoa! Be still my heart. She just got A LOT cooler!'_

From beside me, Maggie lets out a low whistle and quietly says, "Beautiful _and_ smart. Way to go Little Danvers!" Her voice is barely above a whisper, teasing for my ears only, the accompanying smirk exudes her confidence in winning the bet. I narrow my eyes and stick my tongue out at her like the mature adult that I am, then glance quickly over at Kara, knowing that she heard. Sure enough, her face is tomato red and she's fidgeting with the helmet in her hands.

' _How did I not notice that helmet before?'_

"If we're going to make it to the game, we'd better get going," Kara says from where she still stands behind us.

"She's right," Maggie says as she glances at her watch. "Should we all ride together in my car?"

"What about Lena's motorcycle? You can't just leave this here!" It's not even mine, but I'm in protective mode.

"if you don't mind following me home, I can park it in my garage and then I can jump in your car and we all go to the game together. It's on the way to the stadium."

"Sound like a good plan. Alex, Kara, and I will follow you" Maggie says.

"No," Kara interjects, "I'm riding with Lena!" She pushes on the helmet and steps toward Lena and the motorcycle.

"O-okay, well you lead the way."

Maggie and I walk the few feet to her car and we turn and lean against the hood as we watch Kara and Lena getting on the motorcycle. Kara's arms immediately go around Lena's waist and hold her, and Lena's left hand automatically covers Kara's hands, her thumb trailing soothing circles across the back of her hand and fingers.

Lena's speaking softly to my sister, no doubt words of comfort, and Kara melts into her. It's very sweet, and I think I might owe my girlfriend money and vegan ice cream, but I won't tell her that just yet.

Suddenly, Lena turns the key, bringing the engine to life, and I almost miss the way Kara jumps at the sound as my knees buckle. I'm so thankful that I was leaning against the car, otherwise I would have fallen on my ass!

"Getting all hot and bothered? I thought only I could make sounds that make you weak in the knees" Maggie says as she doubles over in a fit of laughter.

She sobers up quickly as I say, "Keep it up and you're sleeping on the floor tonight."

"You play dirty, Danvers."

"Only with you, Sawyer," I say with a flirtatious wink.

Once in the car, I look up and see that Lena is still talking to Kara and doesn't remove her hand from where it covers Kara's until Kara nods against her shoulder. Then she places both hands on the handlebars and they slowly take off out of the parking lot with us following behind them.

' _I hate losing bets to Maggie. WHY do I keep making them?'_


End file.
